After listening to his trusted guard's report, Li Gancheng smiled.

An official like Chunqiong was not worthy of, nor qualified to, communicate with His Highness the Crown Prince. Even for the purpose of conveying messages, a mere seventh-rank county magistrate like him was not qualified.

It was only because of the current special circumstances, and the fact that the Crown Prince was passing through this area on imperial orders to pacify the people, that Magistrate Chunqiong had this opportunity.

They make it sound nice, wanting to express their gratitude under the guise of thanks, but it's really just about seizing the opportunity to climb the social ladder.

After all, for a mere county magistrate, the chances of establishing a relationship with the crown prince are few and far between in his lifetime.

Yao Tianzheng cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, the disaster has just been suppressed, and it is the time for us to work together with the people. Since Magistrate Chun of Gaoling County wants to show some hospitality as a host and offer fine wine, let's give him face."

Yao Tianzheng spoke very tactfully, but everyone understood his implied meaning.

Governor Yao was simply saying that the current situation is turbulent, and the people of the Jingzhao region have finally managed to overcome the locust plague crisis together. It is a time for everyone to rejoice and celebrate. The Crown Prince of the country is ordered to care for the people and should stand with them.

The magistrate of Gaoling County was the local official in charge of the county, and thus represented the people.

Furthermore, given that His Highness the Crown Prince is newly established, such matters might as well be taken with a grain of salt, and could become a celebrated story in the future.

The historians' records will also highlight His Highness the Crown Prince's virtue and approachable image during his time as a prince, so that he can better control and win over people's hearts in the future.

"Lord Yao is absolutely right, I second that!"

Zhuang Qishi also bowed and echoed his sentiments.

Following Mi Zhu, officials such as Xing Kang also spoke up.

"We second that proposal!"

In fact, they don't need to make this decision; whether or not to meet is entirely up to Crown Prince Li Gancheng.

The reason for staging this scene was simply to further highlight the image of Crown Prince Li Gancheng as someone who listens to all sides and is wise.

Everyone could tell from Crown Prince Li Gancheng's face that he would definitely agree, so they all seconded the motion.

Li Gancheng waved his hand and said loudly, "Very well, then please invite Lord Chun into the tent."

Before long, Chunqiong, the magistrate of Gaoling County, arrived at the camp under the guidance of Li Gancheng's trusted guards and kowtowed repeatedly.

Behind him followed two maids carrying wooden trays.

Sun Jian glanced around and saw that the magistrate of Gaoling County, Chunqiong, was short and fat, with a prosperous face and a small tuft of mustache. He looked a lot like Heshen, played by Wang Gang in a TV series in later generations, which was quite comical.

It's not 100% similar, but it's at least 70-80% similar.

This didn't surprise Sun Jian much. What surprised him was the two maids following behind him, each carrying a tray. One tray held venison that was still being heated by charcoal in a copper stove, while the other tray held a full twelve bottles of Forget-Worry Valley, a product of his own Qiankun Hall.

Wow!

It seems that my Forget-Worry Valley is indeed very popular. Even the magistrate of a small county a hundred miles away from the capital can bring out twelve bottles to present at a banquet.

Judging from this, it's likely that Qiankuntang's artifacts have already spread to various parts of the country.

Of course, Sun Jian wasn't the only one who saw the Valley of Forgetfulness; everyone present did too.

Others might not know that the items in Qiankun Hall belonged to Sun Jian, but Li Gancheng and Yao Tianzheng recognized them at a glance.

Li Gancheng first glanced at Sun Jian, then pretended not to know and asked Chunqiong, the magistrate of Gaoling County, "Lord Chun, what are these things you are presenting?"

Even though they knew beforehand that the other party was offering fine wine and venison, the process of asking questions upon meeting the person was still necessary.

"Your Highness, I have two items to offer. The first is eight catties of venison cooked over a low flame at about six months old. The second is the Forget-Worry Valley wine from Qiankun Hall, the number one shop in my Great Gan."

"Using Forget-Worry Valley as a cooking ingredient for venison is a perfect match, and the taste is absolutely delicious."

Chunqiong didn't dare to raise her head when she replied.

Because Li Gancheng's expression was not visible, it was clear that he was somewhat fearful in his words.

It is not necessarily the case that one should look directly at the emperor's face; this is the etiquette for foreign officials when they meet with the monarch.

Although the crown prince is not the emperor, he is still the heir apparent, and all officials except his close advisors are required to observe this etiquette.

Without the Crown Prince's approval, he could not look directly at the camera from beginning to end.

Seeing that His Highness the Crown Prince remained silent after she answered, Chunqiong wondered if she had said something wrong, or if the prince simply didn't care for the wine and food.

Thinking of this, cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and he hurriedly added, "Your...Your Highness, Gaoling is a small and sparsely populated place. The locust plague has just been suppressed, and the county's resources are stretched thin...This...this humble subject went to great lengths to obtain these twelve bottles of Forget-Worry Valley..."

Chunqiong's words were full of grievance, and she was clearly on the verge of tears.

In fact, he wasn't lying. A six-month-old fawn might not be anything rare, and it wouldn't be difficult for high-ranking officials and nobles to eat it if they wanted to. But this Forget-Worry Valley was something he had bought from a merchant at a low price for more than 20 taels of silver per bottle.

He spent over two hundred taels of silver on twelve bottles of Forget-Worry Valley wine, which not only wiped out all his savings but also left him with a considerable debt.

This stuff is absolutely rare. Not only is it expensive, but it's also incredibly hard to find even a single bottle on the market.

Having bought these twelve bottles of Forget-Worry Valley, Old Chun still couldn't bear to even smell them, presenting them as tribute to Crown Prince Li Gancheng, let alone taste them himself.

Originally, he wanted to take the opportunity to curry favor with the Crown Prince. However, if he offended the Crown Prince, it would be worse than death for him. He would end up losing both his money and his reputation.

But Chunqiong couldn't understand why His Highness the Crown Prince was angry.

Could it be that you've never heard of the Qiankun Hall that's so popular in the streets, let alone this Forget-Worry Valley?

No way!

The reputation of Qiankun Hall was no less than that of Lord Sun Jian in the folklore.

Even street dogs would smell these words and be drawn to them for food; how could the royal family not know?

Moreover, the Forget-Worry Valley is produced in very small quantities; even in the royal family, it would be considered a rare item.

For a mere county magistrate to bring out so many bottles at once already shows his sincerity...

Why is His Highness the Crown Prince so slow to speak...?

Seeing that His Highness the Crown Prince had not spoken yet, Yao Tianzheng already knew what he was thinking, and turned to Chunqiong and said, "Lord Chun."

"Your humble servant... Your humble servant is here!"

Chunqiong quickly bowed to Yao Tianzheng again, waiting quietly for his instructions.

"As everyone knows, this Valley of Forgetfulness is a rare find."

"The great disaster has just passed, and everything is in ruins. His Highness the Crown Prince has been ordered by the Emperor to care for the people. By offering so much Forget-Worry Valley, aren't you giving His Highness the reputation of being extravagant and unaware of the people's poverty?"